Merlin, DreamWorks Animation to Open 'Shrek' Visitor Attraction in London

February 24, 2014|Leo Barraclough | Variety

LONDON -- Merlin Entertainments has teamed up with DreamWorks Animation to launch a "Shrek" themed visitor attraction, to be called Shrek's Far Far Away Adventure, in London.

The attraction, which will open in the summer of 2015, will take visitors through a live interactive adventure featuring Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots and other characters from the franchise. It will be the first of six "Shrek" attractions to be rolled out over nine years.

The 20,000 square ft. London attraction, which will be sited at County Hall on the south bank of the River Thames, will be based on a new adventure being written by DWA. As well as the interactive walkthrough adventure, there will be a character courtyard where visitors can meet Shrek and his friends, along with characters from "Madagascar," "Kung Fu Panda" and "How to Train Your Dragon."

It will sit alongside Merlin's other attractions nearby: the London Eye, the London Sea Life Aquarium and the London Dungeon.

The debut of the first Shrek's Far Far Away Adventure comes just ahead of the film's 15th anniversary. The franchise has generated more than $3.5 billion in global box office revenue.

It will be the first time that Merlin, Europe's largest and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, has worked with a Hollywood studio to create a scaleable branded entertainment experience based on a globally recognized entertainment franchise. Merlin operates 100 attractions, nine hotels and three holiday villages in 22 countries across four continents.

Nick Varney, chief exec of Merlin, said the attraction is "the start of what we hope will be a wider collaboration with DreamWorks Animation."

Jeffrey Katzenberg, DWA's CEO, said: "We're excited to work with Merlin to build something that we think is going to be a singularly unique way to experience Shrek and his world. This attraction is going to be unlike anything that currently exists and will undoubtedly become a new type of destination for families."